Recommended Posts

I haven't really kept up much on the NHL series since 95. For the most part I stuck with 94. I've tried to get into 2003, 2004 & 2005 & hated all three. But until recently I've played 2000 (PC version) periodically. I liked it pretty much, though in a different way than the 1st generation nhl games. The problem is my old old computer that played it bit the dust & xp won't run it because it's so old. Has anyone else played 98 - 2002 NHL games on PC or PS1/PS2? What do you think of those games. Which years would you recommend?

Link to post

Share on other sites

I haven't really kept up much on the NHL series since 95. For the most part I stuck with 94. I've tried to get into 2003, 2004 & 2005 & hated all three. But until recently I've played 2000 (PC version) periodically. I liked it pretty much, though in a different way than the 1st generation nhl games. The problem is my old old computer that played it bit the dust & xp won't run it because it's so old. Has anyone else played 98 - 2002 NHL games on PC or PS1/PS2? What do you think of those games. Which years would you recommend?

I kind of liked nhl 2000s franchise mode (even though it was very shallow). I've played a 2001 demo & it actually runs on XP & gameplay is pretty similar to 2000. I'll probably download a 2002 demo & try that also. The problem is, you can't do any franchise stuff in the demo versions, so I'm not sure how good it is.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

I own NHL 2001, so I can fill you in on what the franchise mode is in that game.

NHL 2001 expanded on the franchise mode... at least by a bit. You could play for ten seasons instead of five and you could try to sign three free agents instead of one, but that's pretty much it. Besides that, I didn't really see anything different between this version and NHL 2000's franchise mode.

For my personal opinion, I liked it when it was the only franchise mode out there, but it hasn't aged well at all. Besides the doubling of the playing time, they didn't improve much else. I don't know about you guys, but I hated how those developers put themselves in the game (they had the best chance of being great players too, so you had to draft them). I didn't like it back then, too.

2002 and 2003... you aren't missing much if you played 2001's franchise mode. 2002 was practically the same thing as 2001, besides that stupid "Hero Rating" and 2003... don't get me started on how abysmal that game was (At least for the PC).

2004... EA actually tried to improve the franchise mode (They started calling it "Dynasty Mode"), but it had a crappy premise to it. The owner of your team decides to get rid of all of your scouting, coaches, training immenities, etc. and he hires you. After doing "GM Stuff" (making good deals, winning games, etc.), you get GM points where you can spend them on rebuilding your dynasty. Besides it being too darn easy to win a bunch of games in a few years (The other teams dont draft the players with high potential in the earlier years), you CAN'T change the premise of the mode.

I stopped playing this series after 2004, so I couldn't tell you if they improved it or not (The 360's franchise mode seems to be improved, but I can't tell).

Well, there you have it. If you actually want a good franchise mode, go and try out NHL Eastside Hockey Manager 2007 by Sports Interactive. It's not for everybody, but it's like crack if you fit the mold of this type of game.

Share this post

Link to post

Share on other sites

Well, after fooling around with both 2001 & 2002 demos I decided 2001 was the version for me. It seems (for the computer version at least) 2002 was when 2 bad trends for the NHL series started:

Weak & delayed hits (stupid realistic hitting)

The breakaway cam

Other than that, they seem exactly the same with improved graphics. I bought 2001 from Amazon. When I get the game & try franchise mode I'll report back.

Breakaway cam was removed in 2004. Also, the breakaway cam didn't take effect when you had more than one guy on the breakaway, probably so you could pass for a one-timer on 2-on-goalie plays.

GBA 2002 was pretty neat though. It had graphics like 96 but the referee announced penalties and play stoppages. Also, there was a glitch where if you went down the boards and shot the puck when you were almost at the goal line, it would almost always go in. At least, it did when I was Vancouver and I played against Chicago.

Share on other sites

Breakaway cam was removed in 2004. Also, the breakaway cam didn't take effect when you had more than one guy on the breakaway, probably so you could pass for a one-timer on 2-on-goalie plays.

GBA 2002 was pretty neat though. It had graphics like 96 but the referee announced penalties and play stoppages. Also, there was a glitch where if you went down the boards and shot the puck when you were almost at the goal line, it would almost always go in. At least, it did when I was Vancouver and I played against Chicago.

I tried continuing my Team Sega series, but it can't be done on 02 for the GBA.